Comic Con 2014 is happening right now. A gathering of all my fellow nerds who are lucky enough to have the money and opportunity to attend, unlike me right now. Comics have a specific methodology to writing as well as a very restricted amount of writing, as it is primarily a visual medium. You can write an entire comic script on a single page depending on the visual emphasis you want to give a story. That means that the typical scene will be a paragraph long at best, most of the time. Comic Con has become about a lot more than comics now though, it’s become about movies, music, comics, and games concentrating on a genre specific focus. It is because of this that I decided to do something a little different this time. I have done comic book adjacent scenes before so that’s not really new. A game centered script wouldn’t really look all that different except for the content it’s self, but switch out a few names and specific locations and you could adapt either for each other with out too much hassle. So I decided based on a script I am working on for a game concept that I would write a scene from the game.

Keep in mind that depending on the game environment and focus game scripts can be very different. If it’s an action oriented game then the script can look very much like a movie script. If, however, like the one I am working on you do it in an RPG genre then the script gets a lot more complex. You have to start working with script trees, with each following line giving specific responses and that in turn changing the dialog given back to the player. Sometimes even with script trees you can end up at the same place no matter what the player chooses which is a complaint of a lot of critiques of the genres scripting style. You must get players from point A to point B and the only choices you have are how to get there but you will always end with the same response and mission being given to you. This is done for a couple of reasons the first being that it’s easier to write if you just write the script in one draft then go back and fill in alternative player options and some slight dialog deviations in the conversation. Two the conversational dance is in the end irrelevant because you want the outcome to simply send the player ont he next leg of their journey. It’s a cutting egd game that actualy changes the parameters of the quest and game play going forward based on the players choices and ends up making you create the game a number of different times to anticipate the players choices.

Ext – Night
(Scene takes place immediately after intro credits scene, involving a third person perspective from outside a limo hearing a conversation between a few thugs. windows are blacked out so only the limo driving down the road can been seen and the voices heard from inside, with ambient atmospheric noises)
scene preceded by a short cinematic action beat intro-ing to dialog options. Empty Parking lot, scattered street lamps in the lot. Medium sized sidewalk separates lot from adjacent street empty of traffic. Lot and surroundings all empty of passers by. Grungy urban atmosphere around lot, provided by appropriate maps and textures applied to near by commercial structures. Lot is surrounded on three sides by concrete walls which make up neighboring structures.

*For the Purpose of dialog trees responses will be proceeded with either A) – for Avatar Dialog Option, or D) For Daneash Response. Avatar Dialog options will be numbered for representing different choices

(Player has no control of avatar until dialog options become available)
A blinking effect over Camera brings player view from black screen. POV at ground angle and on side. waking up with head on lot parking space. Blinking occurs a couple more times as character begins to stand and looks around at their body to see where they are. Body is half hanging off sidewalk into the lot as the avatar stands up then begins to look around the lot. Hard sound to the right and the POV getting knocked to the side quickly indicates something hitting the avatars head. POV camera pans around from where it got knocked over to while avatar corrects it’s stance to fully upright and third person perspective begins as camera pulls back to show avatar and three vampire thugs in dark street cloths one in a dark grey hoodie stand behind the avatar. Thug 1 recovering his fist to his side from punching the characters avatar.

Thug 2: I don’t think you hit him hard enough
Thug 3: stupid noob, that should have taken his head off
Thug 1: Guess his maker wasn’t on the weak side, no matter, sometimes it just takes a bit more effort

Thug 1 hauls back and the characters avatar puts up his arms to block the incoming attack. Thug 3 steps in behind the avatar and when Thug one makes contact even though it’s blocked the avatar falls over Thug 3s outstretched leg. Thug 2 closes in and starts kicking the avatar in the ribs.

Camera goes into POV again as the Avatar pulls his arms in tighter to block out whats going on and can’t see but can hear them hitting him. The sound of a large object hitting the ground and then the sound of one of the Thugs in pain and then hitting the ground and liquefying. Then a second in pain and liquefying. The Avatar opens his arms a bit to look around and sees Thug 3 stepping back with her hands up

Thug 3: Whoa wait wait, us girls need to sti-

An arm jets forward with incredible speed jamming a glass spike filled with a glowing blue liquid into Thug 3s skull then the arm retracts the spike breaks and runs down the face of the Thug and Thug 3 falls to her knees and seems to melt into red goop.As the avatar still pulls his arms down from his face.

The character finally has his arms pulled completely out of his field of vision and sees nothing then turn to the right and sees a hand out stretched next to his face. The Avatar takes the hand and as he gets helped up and the camera pulls off POV again to the right at an angled momentum equal to that of the characters avatar standing upright. The camera now sees the avatar and the character Daneash clearly as she lets go of his hand and slides one of those glass spikes back into her bolero.

Avatar: Thanks, I hope
Daneash: You need to learn to be more careful noob
Avatar: Yeah well I’m sort of new to this whole thing
Daneash: How did you get here anyways?
Avatar: 1) That’s not your concern
D) Have it your way, hope we meet again
2) Not sure
D) What do you remember?
A) I was with this girl, we were playing some blood sports, you know cutting and stuff, Then a limo ride, then here
D) A limo, sounds swanky, think you can hook me up?
A1) Sure let me make a call (Sarcastic)
D) Go Ahead I’ll wait
A) I was kidding
D) I know
A2) Maybe when you class up a bit
D) What gave me away the torn jeans or the ripped t-shirt?
A) Your apparent lack of breeding
D) Well meoooooow
A3) Wasn’t my Limo belonged to somebody named Vlad
D) Too bad, I could use a limo ride and a stiff drink
A) something tells me you don’t drink a lot of alcohol anymore
D) touche
3) Some thugs dropped me off
D) Then they tried to beat you up?
A) No these were different thugs, the ones before were in a Limo I never saw their faces
D) Seems your popular with the thugs tonight
A1) hey watch it I was a thug until a few hours ago
D) No accounting for taste I guess
A) Something you’d know a lot about
D) aaa did kitty break a nail?
A2) I must smell nice tonight
D) Like a corpse in summer time (Sniff) mmmmm
A) Guess that’s why the maggots come out looking
D) (Giggle) hey I like you
A3) If it wasn’t for bad luck you know?
D) I make my own luck
A) mind making a little for me
D) Sorry you can’t afford my luck
D) Enough with the getting to know you B.S. noob you need to learn a little about life, or un-life, whatever
A) Sorry teacher I didn’t bring my trapper keeper today
D) That’s alright I don’t give homework. First things first, your a Vampire. Yeah Like Count Dracula
A) You mean that Vlad guy they were talking about really is?
D) No, he’s actually a long story I don’t have time for right now. As far as anybody knows there is not nor ever was a Count Dracula
A) So where did we come from, how long do we live? er un-live? What are my powers? can I live off the blood of moles and Gophers?
D) (sigh) Ok enough noob just shut up and listen will you, stop fantasizing. We’ll except where it counts, I’m over 1,000 yrs old trust me I know I’m all that. Now sunlight, keep out of it. There’s a chemical in your body that reacts like chlorophyll in sunlight only the reaction is so energetic it literally vaporizes you. Second, blood of any creature that contains mammalian hemoglobin, will work, and you will need plenty of it at least at first, until you start to get stronger. Three you get stronger as you age, not through experience or wisdom, So be
patient. Four As far as anybody knows Vampires will live forever, unless of course you get killed, which can happen in a few different ways. You can get exposed to direct sunlight as I explained earlier, You can get your head removed from your body, Or a chemical solution which acts a bit like sunlight in a bottle can be injected into the brain cavity. It has to be the head because the chemical won’t spread through out your system like a human body. It will injure a Vampire, but they can still heal from it. Older Vampire won’t even notice it. As far as your powers are concerned, the typical enhanced this and that, but mostly it depends on how you train yourself. Choose what you want to be and learn everything you can about being the best whatever, and your powers will increase. You know like people.
A) Can you give that to me in a tweet?
D) Time = strength, practice = perfect, sunlight or decapitation = dead #learntoread
A) thanks, I guess
D) Look I got to be somewhere is there anything else I can answer for you before I go?

(Note Player can ask any questions they want from the list but only two will be answered before skipping to Daneash ending the conversation to leave, player will not be told before hand)

A1) I’m still sort of lost any suggestions as to where to go next?
D) I’d start off with a little light exploring. Oh and keep in mind Vampires don’t exists, get it?
A1) No
D) Just keep being a Vampire to yourself
A2) Yeah got it
A2) Where can I hook up with you later?
D) The Afterlife
A) Isn’t this the afterlife
D) Yep
A3) Where can I find this Vlad?
D) At the end of a sharp pointy stake if you go looking for him now
A1) I understand
A2) I’ll decide when I’m ready to face him
D) Far be it from me to keep you out of trouble, but he’s got an army. If you want to find him try some local sleazy factories
A4) Where can I get some of those cool stakes you have?
D) Baby Steps
A1) That’s not an answer
A2) Guess you’ll tell me later?
D) (Winks)
A5) Any theories why I am still alive?
D) You mean why didn’t Vlad light you up like Fourth of July? Guess you’d have to ask him, but I wouldn’t
A1) I think I’d better ask him anyways
D) Sure there’s a cemetery over on Third, ask some of the people who were curious before you
A2) Maybe you’re right I’m still getting used to this whole thing
A6) Do you know who my maker is?
D) Why would I know that, You think we hold a Vampires meeting every Sunday or something and introduce ourselves?
A1) Sure why not?
D) Truth is I’m not sure, too many vampires in this city to narrow down the suspects, give it some time, the truth will out
A2) Alright, alright, point made
A7) You know I think I’m good, I’ll just go explore from here
D) I’m sorry to cut this short but as I said before I really do need to get moving. I hope to see you around noob, you’ve peaked my interest. Not that, that’s especially difficult, eternity is tedium. Anyways till next time
A) Well I’ll see you next…

As the Players last line trails off an IGCS (In Game Cute-Scene) takes over and Daneash runs off across the street at blazing speed and leaps over the chain link fence, and around a corner out of sight from a POV cam. Then the player gains control again and has the choice (POV, or third person adjustable camera views) as to how to precede to thier next task.